The Complete New Hire Onboarding Checklist [2022]

Congratulations on your recent hire! It’s a great time to onboard new employees. More candidates than ever are making voluntary career changes to find work that’s meaningful to them. (Plus, Apploi recently published a free onboarding ebook to make the process easy.) With this onboarding checklist, you’ll buzz through your new hire’s first year of employment.

Pre-onboarding checklist

Pre-onboarding, or “day 0” onboarding, covers the steps you take before a new hire’s first day. Here’s our pre-onboarding checklist to get you started on the right foot.

Set up your new hire’s company email

If relevant, make sure your new hire has a work email, that they’re able to log in, and that they’ve got their signature set up.

Collect headshots

If you don’t take headshots in person, ask your new hire to send in their photo before they come in.

Announce start date

Let the rest of the team know when your new employee is joining the team. While you’re at it, double-check that your new hire is clear about when they’re starting, too.

Make email introductions

Send out a welcome email CC’ing key workers. This is especially important if your employees work fully or partially offsite. 

Remind new hires what documents to bring

If you use Apploi you probably already have digital copies of all the onboarding documents you need. But if you need proof of identification or outstanding paperwork, remind your new hire exactly what they should bring.

First-day onboarding checklist

You’ve made it to your new hire’s first day of actual work. Apploi users are likely done with paperwork at this point, but it’s still an important day with lots to get done.

Give them a tour

Make your new hire’s transition easier by helping them find their way around. Highlight the locations where they’ll likely spend most of their time. After all, a personalized experience is a key piece of onboarding best practices.

Share accounts and logins

Make sure your new employee has the ability to log into any platforms and access any software that they’ll need to do their new job.

Set up a meeting with HR

Go over any HR training, or get started assessing your new hire’s skills and growth potential. (Check out our onboarding ebook for more ideas about how to do this).

First-week onboarding checklist

Not that your new team member is getting familiar with your workplace and their coworkers, you can take their training to the next level.

Clarify structure

Go over the professional hierarchy in your business. Help your employee understand where to take questions (and, at the same time, imagine how they might grow).

Complete software training

Got niche software that your newest employees are still getting comfortable with? Carry out any training that they need for full mastery.

Take questions

A week is long enough to have some burning questions. Check in and see if they have any concerns or uncertainties you can address.

First-month checklist

Making it thirty days into a role is a big milestone for your employees. Spend some time going over their progress and offering support.

Review month one performance

Did you set any goals for the first thirty days of the role? Review how these goals went or what they accomplished over the month.

Payroll and PTO accrual

Did you cover PTO during week one onboarding? Whether you did or didn’t, revisit your policy now that your new hires are more likely to be eligible. 

Start professional development

Yes, it’s early, but it’s worth it to begin a conversation about your employee’s growth. Indicate that you’re open to hearing about their goals and direct them toward development opportunities.

Third-month checklist

It might feel like you’re well out of onboarding by now, but your workers are still relatively new. 

Review 30-60-90 day plans

If you set goals for your employee’s first, second, and third months, schedule a time to go over them. Did they accomplish their goals? What obstacles arose?  

Ensure all training is complete

Your employee should be comfortable with the workflow by now. Verify that they’ve completed all their trainings, including assignments from HR. 

Introduce important partners, customers, or other figures

Depending on your organization, you may have important figures who you don’t employ. Introduce your employees to partners, board members, investors, or other people who they should know. 

Sixth-month checklist

Don’t just check in with your employees—take a moment to celebrate them.

Consistent employee engagement

Keep your employees engaged by giving them opportunities to provide feedback. But don’t stop there. Schedule social events as well to encourage a healthy, happy company culture. 

Ensure check-ins are established

If you don’t already have consistent check-ins scheduled, do that now. Check-ins with supervisors allow employees to voice concerns, ask questions, and advocate for their own growth.

Agree on long-term goals

It looks like your employee is in it for the long haul. Set up a successful future by planning goals for the coming month, quarter, or year.

Annual Review

You’ve come a long way! It’s time to celebrate, review the year, and implement your retention strategies.

Check on employee satisfaction

Ask your employee how the year has treated them and what they’d like to change to improve their satisfaction. This is the most direct way you have to gain insight and prevent turnover.  

Review performance

A majority of American workers say they want feedback. A clear and respectful response to your employee’s work can help them (and you) feel like the whole team is united and working toward the same goals.

Plan for growth

Maybe your employee still feels new, or maybe they’ve become a senior member of the team. In either case, making it a year into a job is a big deal. Sit down for a serious conversation about skills they’d like to develop and additional training they could complete in the coming year.

How can Apploi help the onboarding process?

Apploi’s Onboard & Manage Teams makes the transition from applicant to employee quick and easy. With Apploi, you can send offer letters, complete background checks, verify credentials, and create digital employee files from one platform. Because Apploi lets you recruit, hire, and onboard from one place, you’ll spend less time re-entering information, and more time getting to know your team.

Interested in learning more about seamless onboarding? Contact us today for your free demo of our talent management solution.